August 18, 2018 … God’s Perspective

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 229 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of the group Brian Free and Assurance singing … He Can Take It … poignantly singing of how we can take anything to our God, because He sees things we will never see and knows all.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 102:19-20 [NLT] … 19  Tell them [God’s people] the Lord looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven 20  to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die. 
… God sees things we cannot see.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 102:1-2, 18-28 [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… The psalmist sings of God’s perspective on our world.
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… In trusting in God, in all situations, we must be willing to take all our cares to Him so that He can lead us.

Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. …” 
… Jesus wants to lead us; but we’ve got to be willing to follow Him.

Reference Passage : … 1Peter 5:7 [NLT] … 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 
 … Believing that God cares, we must bring our cares to Him … ALL our cares.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Bill Crowder, used an illustration of the perspective one gets by being able to view life from a high perspective. The ODB author wrote: While in London, a friend arranged for my wife Marlene and me to visit the Sky Garden. On the top floor of a thirty-five-story building in London’s business district, the Sky Garden is a glass-encased platform filled with plants, trees, and flowers [see photo]. But the sky part captured our attention. We gazed down from a height of over 500 feet, admiring St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, and more. Our views of the capital city were breathtaking—providing a helpful lesson on perspective. 
Our God has a perfect perspective of everything we experience. 

Using the author’s word picture from today’s ODB, wouldn’t you agree that we have a far clearer perspective on a city, like London, by seeing it from the heights of a structure like the Sky Garden rather than viewing life from down on the streets? And so, when we take that truth to heart, we have to see that God has a perspective on our lives - a heavenly perspective - that is infinitely higher and clearer than what we could ever see.

That’s why we read the psalmist, in the highlight passage, taking his dire cares to God, trusting that God sees and God knows and God cares about what we, His people, bring to him. We may have trouble seeing where we should go; but God always sees and knows what is best; and since Jesus desires that we, His disciples, deny ourselves and follow Him [see Luke 9:23], we should be willing to bring anything/everything to Him at all times (see 1Peter 5:7).

So, if we feel in the dark about something today - or any day - let’s do what the group Assurance sings in the linked song; … because no matter what we bring to our Lord, … “He can take it!” 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for hearing us anytime … anywhere! 
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … O Lord, I need Your eternal perspective today. Help me see my way. Shine Your light on my path. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 17, 2018 … Reaching Out In The Storm

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 228 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from the group Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … He’ll Do Whatever It Takes … poignantly singing of how Christ is there to lift us up from our selves … IF … we’re willing to trust in Him.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 14:30-31 [NLT] … 30 But when he [Peter] saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. … 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” 
… And do we know that Jesus is always there, reaching out for us in the storm?  
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 14:22-33 [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus reaches out to save Peter, sinking in the storm after walking on water with Jesus. 
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… In trusting in God, in all situations, we must beware of our own feelings and selfish fears.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] … 10  Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with My victorious right hand. 
 … But do we have faith that our Lord will do just that?!

Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me. …” 
… We have to be willing to give up our own way to humbly and faithfully follow Jesus.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 3:20 [NLT] … 20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. … “
… Jesus so desires to have fellowship with us; … but we’ve got to open the door by faith to Let Him into our lives.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Julie Schwab, used a few life situations which distract us from our trust/faith in God to illustrate how we can wane in our faith as the circumstances of life engulf us. The ODB author wrote: Sometimes life gets busy—classes are hard, work is exhausting, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, and a coffee date is on the day’s schedule. It gets to the point where I force myself to read the Bible for a few minutes a day and tell myself I’ll spend more time with God next week. But it doesn’t take long before I’m distracted, drowning in the day’s tasks, and forget to ask God for help of any kind. 

The highlight passage from Matthew 14 where Jesus came walking on the water to His Disciples in a horrible storm. … Peter was rescued from the waves as he went out to walk on the water with Jesus. But he sank because of his weakened faith, which illustrates our faithlessness at times doesn’t it? Jesus, as in the linked song sing, is willing to do whatever it takes to bring us to Himself; but as the truth of Rev. 3:20 reveals, we’ve got to have the faith to open the door of our hearts to let Him in when we hear Him knocking, … especially in the storms of life.

Peter, in the highlight story, was able to have the faith to get out of the boat when Jesus called Him to Himself, but his faith waned when he saw were he was in the storm; and he sank into the waves. if we can have the faith to let Jesus come into our lives during our storms, or to step out of our boat into the storms of life, KNOWING that Jesus is always there for us to lift us up (see Isaiah 41:10), then He will do just that for us, … even saving us when sink beneath the waves of our storms. 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for always being there for us in the storms of life.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … O Lord, forgive my weakened faith. Lift me up, Lord! … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 16, 2018 … Bread of Life

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 227 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from the group ForeverBeSure singing … Bread of Life … poignantly singing of how Christ desires to feed and fill us with His “bread of life.”

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Highlight Verse[s]: John 6:35a [NLT] … 35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. … 
… The question is … do I desire the Bread of Life enough to fill my spiritual hunger? 
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 6:32-40 [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus tells His Disciples that any who seek after the “Bread of Life” from Him will never hunger. 
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Reference Passage : …Deuteronomy 8:3 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God taught His people that they cannot live by bread alone … but by every word which comes from God. [Which was quoted by Jesus to Satan in the wilderness as the enemy was tempting Him - see Matt. 4:4]

Reference Passage : … Psalms 34:8, 107:9 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The psalmists sing of how only God can satisfy the deep longings of our hearts.

Reference Passage : … Revelation 3:20 [NLT] … 20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. … “ 
… Jesus so desires to dine with us in fellowship; but will we let Him in?

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Elisa Morgan, used a personal story to illustrate how we can hunger for physical pleasure more than our desire for Christ’s “Bread of Life.” The ODB author wrote: Riding along with my husband on some errands, I scrolled through emails on my phone and was surprised at an incoming advertisement for a local donut shop, a shop we had just passed on the right side of the street. Suddenly my stomach growled with hunger. I marveled at how technology allows vendors to woo us into their establishments. 
As I clicked off my email, I mused over God’s constant yearning to draw me closer. He always knows where I am and longs to influence my choices. I wondered, Does my heart growl in desire for Him the way my stomach did over the idea of a donut? 

Oh how God desires that we seek after our relationship with Christ as much as we seek after those things which satisfy our physical bodies! … The ODB story today reminded me of my own gluttony for donuts [see photo]; and how I so desire to love the word of God, which is the “bread of life,” … just as much - and preferably more - that my lusting for donuts. And yes, the advertisement business [and really Satan himself] would do all they can to get us to lust after the things of this world so as to draw us away from our desire to partake of the “bread of life.”

The latter, of course, can only come from an abiding and intimate relationship with Christ and especially partaking regularly and often from the “bread of life,” which is His word. So the challenge from today’s journal entry is to lead us to open the door of fellowship when we hear Jesus knocking (see Rev. 3:20); and to dine with Him, partaking of His ‘bread of life,” which we consume from His truth.

And that is why you find me here - EVERY DAY - at the table of fellowship and devotion, praying that my Lord will dine with me as I partake of the “bread of life” which He shares with me from His word. And it so fills me!!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your word which provides me with Your bread of life.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … O Lord, I pray that all who read here are being filled and satisfied, as I am, with Your “bread of life.” … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 15, 2018 … God Speaks - We Listen!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 226 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from Keith and Kristyn Getty singing … Speak, O Lord … poignantly singing of our desire to hear God’s word to speak to us and build our faith in His presence and providence.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Job 38:3 [NLT] … 3  Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. 
 … God challenges Job with questions that lead Job to realize Who God really is and why Job must have faith in God in spite of Job’s challenges and trials.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Job 38:1-11 [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… Job had so many “WHY” questions; but when God finally comes to Him it is God who asks the questions to show Job the way back to faith.
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Reference Passage : … Job, Chapter 1 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Even after great pain/loss, Job’s faith remained steadfast … at least for a time.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… It’s our trust (i.e., faith) in God which provides us with His guidance, not our questions about the inexplicable things in life.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] … 10  Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 
 … When we feel weak and threatened, God promises to give us His strength.

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:38-39 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… It is our surrendered faith in God which shows us that nothing in this life can separate us from His love/grace.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 11:6 [NLT] … 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. 
… So may thinks can’t be explained beyond our faith in God’s presence and providence.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Phillip Yancey, used Job’s dilemma and his dialog with God to challenge our faith. The ODB author wrote: We can find nearly every argument in the book of Job about why there is pain in the world, but the arguing never seems to help Job much. His is a crisis of relationship more than a crisis of doubt. Can he trust God? Job wants one thing above all else: an appearance by the one Person who can explain his miserable fate. He wants to meet God Himself, face to face. … 
No one—not Job, nor any of his friends—is prepared for what God has to say. Job has saved up a long list of questions, but it is God, not Job, who asks the questions. 

I think all readers here have had, as did Job, “Why God” questions. Perhaps our challenges have not been as painful as Job’s (or perhaps they have); but it is so easy in our very human weakness or confusion to have our faith in God challenged by life’s trials/troubles.

That’s what happened to Job, didn’t it [see link to Job 1]? He had great faith early after God allow Satan to bring all that pain/loss into his life; but finally as the pain and confusion wore on, and even Job’s friends challenged his faith, Job waned into a “Why, Lord” attitude. But finally God showed up, not with answers to Job’s questions, but rather with questions to Job, which, when Job realized God was the only One with the answers, he surrendered to God’s grace with the faith to go on.

And in God’s questions [see highlight passage], we should realize that God does give us the answers to our questions … thru His word; and when we believe what He speaks to us, and we listen to His truth, our faith can give us the strength to handle even Job-like challenges.

And that’s why one finds me here every morning, coming to God with the prayer spoken by the Getty’s in the linked song today, … desiring to hear God speak to me thru His Holy word. And when I listen to God’s truth, spoken to me thru His word, I can move on with renewed strength and faith. 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your word which challenges me to hear Your truth, which then guides me in my times of confusion.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … O Lord, help me to deal with the “Jobian” challenges of life with the faith you give to me thru Your Truth. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 14, 2018 … Jesus In Our Boat

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 225 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics from Crowder and Tauren Wells singing … All My Hope Is In Jesus … poignantly singing of how we must put all our hopes in Christ no matter the storms we face in life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Isaiah 43:2 [NLT] … 2  When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. 
 … God’s promise of His uplifting strength when we’re engulfed by the storms of life. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Isaiah 43:1-7 [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Isaiah, promises His people His uplifting strength in the storms of their captivity. 
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Reference Passage : … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God promises His guidance if we trust in Him.

Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [NLT] … 10  Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. 
 … When we feel weak and threatened, God promises to give us His strength.

Reference Passage : … Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus shows His power to His disciples to save them from the storms of life … IF … they have faith in Him.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 13:5 [NLT] … 5 … “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” [Quote from Deut. 31:6,8]
 … God’s promise that He will never leave or forsake His own.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Kirsten Holmberg, used a personal story to illustrate how we must trust in God’s deliverance and care in the storms of life. The ODB author wrote: The rafting guide escorted our group to the river’s edge and directed us all to put on life jackets and grab paddles. … [see photo] 
… Sometimes life feels like a white-water rafting trip, one that contains more rapids than we might like. 

I think all readers here would agree that life can seem like a white-water river rafting trip at times, can’t it? And no matter how well trained or prepared we are - as we should be - the storms can be threatening. And it’s in those times, as it was for Jesus’ disciples in such a storm [see references above], that they learned what Crowder sings about in the linked song … that “all our hope is in Jesus.” 

God promises never to forsake us [see Heb. 13:5 (from Deut. 31:6,8)]; but do we have faith in that promise when we encounter the rough storms of life (see Prov. 3:5-6 and Is. 41:10)?

Today, some who read here may be in their own white-water ride of emotions. I pray that we all can have the faith that Jesus is in our boat and has control of any storm we encounter. But besides the scriptures above, … remember and live on the truth of Romans 8:28 (And I hope you have that one memorized and internalized!).

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for the hope I have in You … ALWAYS!! 
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … O Lord, help me to ride out this storm today with You in my boat! … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 13, 2018 … My Time Is His

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 224 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics from Kathryn Scott singing the old hymn… I Have Decided To Follow Jesus … Lovingly singing of how following Jesus takes care of our time management.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 6:38 [NKJV] … 38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” 
… And if we apply this to the time in our lives, we should realize that if we give it in service to God, it will come back to us with God’s service to us.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 6:37-38 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus on God’s law of reciprocity … give and it shall be given unto you.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 90:12 [NKJV] … 12  Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. 
… A wise song on how to wisely use what time we have to learn and grow in wisdom.

Reference Passage : … Proverbs 11:25 [NKJV] … 25  The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. 
 … God promises us a heavenly return on our investment of time for His glory.

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 5:15-16 [NKJV] … 15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 
 … God’s exhortation, thru Paul, for us to us our time wisely in these evil times.

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [NKJV] … 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
… Everything that occurs in the time we have on earth is crafted or allowed by God for our good.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, James Banks, used a personal story to illustrate how we must us our time wisely to serve God and others. The ODB author wrote: I headed into the post office in a big hurry. I had a number of things on my to-do list, but as I entered I was frustrated to find a long line backing up all the way to the door. “Hurry up and wait,” I muttered, glancing at my watch. 
My hand was still on the door when an elderly stranger approached me. “I can’t get this copier to work,” he said, pointing to the machine behind us. “It took my money and I don’t know what to do.” Immediately I knew what God wanted me to do. I stepped out of line and was able to fix the problem in ten minutes. 
The man thanked me and then left. As I turned to get back in line, it was gone. I walked straight to the service counter. 

“Hurry up and wait!” Ever said that to yourself? I sure have. Oh, so often in these “hustle-bustle” days and perilous times, I find myself hurrying to do something of such little importance in God’s scheme. I forget the eternal wisdom of the Scriptures above. And I lose sight of my desire to serve my Lord with the time He has given me for His glory and not my own.

So, today, may we all slow down - at east enough - to see that the time we have, if given in worship to our God, will be given back to us in service to our needs (see all the reference passages above). And if our time is given up wisely in service to others, God will be glorified and we will be blessed. 

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for the time You’ve given me to follow and serve You.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, ... King Jesus, … O Lord, help me to use the time You’ve given me to serve and glorify you today. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 12, 2018 … Our Great God!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 223 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics from Chris Tomlin singing … How Great Is Our God … Powerfully singing of the majesty our our Lord.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Joshua 10:14 [NKJV] … 14 There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer. Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day! 
… The record of Joshua’s day declares the greatness of our God.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Joshua 10:6-15 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… The people of Joshua’s day, especially the Gibeonites, saw just how great was the God of the Israelites as God stopped the sun in the sky over them.
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Reference Passage : … Joshua 1:5 [NKJV] … 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 
 … God promises Joshua that He, The Lord God, would never abandon Joshua or His people, a promise which was also quoted in

Hebrews 13:5 . Reference Passage : … Psalm 116:1-2 [NKJV] … 1  I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. 2  Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath! 
… When a believer cries out in earnest to God, He listens!!

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28 [NKJV] … 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. … God always gives us (Christians) what we need when we need it!

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Lisa Samra, used an historical illustration to teach on how God is always there for us when we call out to Him. The ODB author wrote: SOS, the Morse code signal, was created in 1905 because sailors needed a way to indicate extreme distress [see photo]. The signal gained notoriety in 1910 when used by the sinking ship Steamship Kentucky, saving all forty-six people aboard. 
While SOS may be a more recent invention, the urgent cry for help is as old as humanity. We hear it often in the Old Testament story of Joshua, who faced opposition … 

Fellow Christian, … have you ever been in a place where you needed to send out a cry to God for help … like the desperate S.O.S. of the early 20th century [see photo] or the “911” call of today? … Sure! We all have, haven’t we. And many times that’s when God seems so far away.

But He’s not, is He? No, our great God is alway right there for us; and when we send out an SOS or 911 call to Him, He will always hear us [see Ps. 116:1-2]. And no matter what happens thereafter, His promises and steadfastness will always be there for us just as they were for Joshua (see Scriptures above). Oh, He may respond as we WANT Him to; but He will always hear us and responds a we NEED for Him to respond (see Romans 8:28).

So, today, if you need to send up an SOS to our great God, … He will hear you!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for always being there for me [us]. 
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, King Jesus, … O Lord, You are there when I call. Oh, Lord, help me to have the faith to hear You when You respond. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 11, 2018 … Smile!!

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 222 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images from Bobby McFerrin singing his hit song … Don’t Worry, Be Happy … Happily singing of a philosophy that Christians need to adopt more than we do in life because of the life we live to glorify our Lord and His promises for our eternal future.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Colossians 3:23-24 [NKJV] … 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
 … When we “work” (or just live), if we do it for the Lord, why wouldn’t it involve happiness (i.e., blessedness)
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Highlight Passage [context]: Colossians 3:18-24 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Paul exhorts Christians to live the hearty/fulfilled life Christ has called us to live. 
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 5:1-12 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ “BE-ATTITUDES” … all of which begin with contract “Blessed are,” which is the Greek term, which can also be translated “Happy are.” … But do our lives as Christians reflect happiness to the world (see also Matthew 5:16 - where Jesus commands, “16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. ..."

Reference Passage : … Acts 1:8 [NKJV] … 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 
… Jesus has given us all the power we need to be His witnesses in this world.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam Holz, used a personality illustration of how we Christians should live EVERYWHERE we are serving others or sharing our witness of God’s eternal hope. The ODB author wrote: Going to the grocery store isn’t something I particularly enjoy. It’s just a mundane part of life—something that has to be done. 
But there is one part of this task I’ve unexpectedly come to look forward to: checking out in Fred’s lane. Fred, you see, turns checkout into show time. He’s amazingly fast, always has a big smile [see photo], and even dances (and sometimes sings!) as he acrobatically flips (unbreakable) purchases into a plastic bag. Fred clearly enjoys a job that could be seen as one of the most tedious around. And for just a moment, his cheerful spirit brightens the lives of people in his checkout lane. 

And if you’ve heard Bobby McFerrin’s old hit song, linked above, and meditated on the scriptures above, I don’t think the point of today’s ODB entry, as well as my personal blog here, are much of a mystery, are they?

But I’m afraid (or rather “concerned”) that many, many folks, who think of themselves as “christians,” find it difficult to smile on the job, or live happily at home with family, … or witness their faith joyfully anywhere, for that matter. Think about it!! … If we’re out there doing what it says in Col. 3:23-24 or we’re REALLY shining the light of Christ (as charged in Matt. 5:16) into the world as we witness our faith [as He commanded in Acts. 1:8], do others see us, as Bobby Mac sings, … trying to “BE HAPPY!”

So, let’s all make it a point to smile today and even try our best to make someone else smile. And if they don’t seem to want to reflect our smiles back at us, let’s ask them if we can pray for them in some way to help them find more happiness. Yeah, … let’s all do all we can to be Matt. 5:1-12 Christians today.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for giving us all the best reason in the world to BE HAPPY.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, King Jesus, … O Lord, help me help someone smile today. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 10, 2018 … Hopeful Lamentation

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 221 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics from Natalie Grant singing … Clean … poignantly singing of the reality of the truth that God takes repentance and turns it into redemption.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Lamentations 3:55, 57 [NKJV] … 55 I called on Your name, O Lord, … from the lowest pit. … 57 You drew near on the day I called on You, and said, “Do not fear!” 
… Jeremiah's hopeful lamentation over Jerusalem's destruction; and God's promise of redemption.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Lamentations 3:49-58 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jeremiah posits a hopeful lament seeing the destruction of war upon God’s people and Jerusalem. 
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Reference Passage : … 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul expresses that Godly sorrow (i.e., lamenting) leads to Godly repentance which, of course, leads to God’s redemption/restoration.

Reference Passage : … 1 Peter 5:6-7 [NKJV] … 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 
… When we lament greatly; … God can restore greatly.

Reference Passage : … 1 John 1:9 [NKJV] … 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 
… When we’re truly repentant and confess our sin, the Lord makes us clean again.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Peterson, used a graphic picture of statues of lamentation which help to show us of God’s mercy and redeeming grace. The ODB author wrote: To visit Clifton Heritage National Park in Nassau, Bahamas, is to revisit a tragic era in history. Where the land meets the water, stone steps lead up a cliff. Slaves brought to the Bahamas by ship in the eighteenth century would ascend these steps, often leaving family behind and entering a life of inhumane treatment. At the top, there is a memorial to those slaves [see photo]. Cedar trees have been carved into the shapes of women looking out to sea toward the homeland and family members they’ve lost. Each sculpture is scarred with marks of the slave captain’s whip. 
These sculptures of women mourning what they’ve lost remind me of the importance of recognizing the injustices and broken systems in the world, and lamenting them. Lamenting does not mean that we are without hope; rather, it’s a way of being honest with God. 

Yes, God responded to Jeremiah’s lamentation when the Prophet saw what God had allowed Babylon to do to Jerusalem and God’s people. However, the Lord, thru the Prophet, also declared that He would make His people clean … just as Any Grant sings in the linked song. As the Apostle Peter declares (in 1Pet. 5:6-7) we need to bring our sorrow over our sin to a loving God; and as his fellow Apostle, Paul, declares (in 2Cor. 7:9-10), Godly sorrow leads to Godly repentance. And we Christians should know and believe that Godly repentance leads to God’s cleansing and redemption (see 1John 1:9).

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for responding to my repentance with Your restoration.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, King Jesus, … O Lord, you have made me clean as I lament and repent of my sin. … Amen 

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 9, 2018 … A Good, Good Father

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 220 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics from Chris Tomlin singing … A Good Father … poignantly singing reality of having and holding on to our good, GOOD FATHER.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 63:1 [NKJV] … 1 O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. 
… David could reflect on the love of Yahweh, His Heavenly Father in the most fearful of times. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalms 63 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… David, running away from Saul at the threat of David’s life, he remembers His loving Heavenly Father.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 119:55 [NKJV] … 55 I remember Your name in the night, O Lord, and I keep Your Law. 
… God’s word helps us to remember and follow Him when we are are in the darkness of life.

Reference Passage : … Mark 14:36 [NKJV] … 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” 
… In the most fearful and faithful time of His life on earth - in the garden of Gethsemane - Jesus cries out to His “Abba Father”

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:14-16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… All of God’s elect, in the family of God, can cry out to our “Abba Father” when we are afraid or oppressed.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Xochitl Dixon, used a personal story about her son to describe how we can remember our “Abba Father” when we feel fearful or anxious. The ODB author wrote: When our son, Xavier, was younger, business trips often pulled my husband away from home. Though his father called often, there were rough nights when the calls alone didn’t comfort Xavier. To help soothe our son when he felt he needed his dad, I’d pull out our photo albums as he prepared for bedtime. I’d point out the images that showed them spending time together and ask, “Do you remember this?” 
Memory after memory encouraged our son, who often said, “I have a good daddy.”

Before David, the anointed King-to-be assumed the actual role as King, he was pursued by the then reigning King, Saul; and David’s life was threatened; and in Psalm 63 he cries out in song to His loving “Abba Father” … the good Heavenly Father David remembered from when He had delivered David from Goliath and had been with him all those years in the dark nights of the wilderness when he was a shepherd boy. And his cries to a loving Heavenly Father were the same kind of cries that our Savior even called out in the Garden of Gethsemane, … crying out to His “Abba Father.”

And He’s the same “Abba” we should remember and cry out to when we’re feeling fearful or oppressed by life’s circumstances. Yes, dear one, … as Chris Tomlin sings … we really do have a “good, good Father,” … don’t we?

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for ALWAYS being a loving Abba Father. 
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My Prayer Today: King Jesus, … O Abba Father, … stay by my side in these perilous times. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 8, 2018 … All Are In Need

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 219 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from Steve Green singing … People Need the Lord … poignantly singing of the reality of our confronting many each day who are lost without Christ … but how much do we do to share His saving grace with them.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Romans 9:2-3 [NKJV] … 2 … I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my [a]countrymen according to the flesh, … 
… Paul grieved deeply for his unsaved brother/sister Jews. Are we as grieved by the lost around us, especially our family or loved ones.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Romans 9:1-5 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Note how far Paul was willing to go to pray for the conversion and salvation of his fellow Jews in Rome [and for us as well].
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Reference Passage : … Luke, Chapter 15 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus tells three stories (i.e., parables) which illustrate just how much he cares for the lost

Reference Passage : … John 3:16-17 [NKJV] … 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 
… Jesus explains to Nicodemus (and the world) just how much the Heavenly Father was willing to give up to save the them from themselves.

Reference Passage : … 2 Peter 3:9 [NKJV] … 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 
… God deeply desires that all be saved; but He will not do the saving for us.

 My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, used a personal of a friend’s lost and unsaved loved one to illustrate just how much God desires that all be saved. The ODB author wrote: As a convert to Jesus Christ, Nabeel Qureshi has written books to help his readers understand the people in the religion he left. His tone is respectful, and Qureshi always displays a heart of love for his people. 
Qureshi dedicated one of his books to his sister, who has not yet put her faith in Jesus. The dedication is brief, but powerful. “I am begging God for the day that we can worship him together,” he wrote. 

Perhaps other readers with me today, as this man did, and as I do, have unsaved loved ones where we grieve the possibility they may never, in this life, choose to surrender and receive God’s saving grace. And besides sharing our desire with them - or anyone we encounter who’s lost - we must pray, pray, pray that their hearts soften and they are able to come humbly in repentance and receive God’s eternal love.

Certainly the linked song sings it … “People (really, ALL PEOPLE) Need The Lord!” And as the Scriptures above clearly state … that it’s God’s desire that we all do come to Him; … but faith would have no meaning unless we could - by free will - accept or reject God’s saving grace.

So, I will continue to pray for my lost family and I will pray today that God brings someone into my life - maybe even a stranger - with whom I can share God’s grace … so that they too can find Him as I have found Him.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for pursuing me and offering me Your saving grace.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Please break, bring, and bless my lost family … and allow me to share Your salvation with others in my life. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 7, 2018 … Mercies In Disguise

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 218 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from Laura Story singing her song … Blessings … poignantly singing of how the trials of life may be our greatest blessings in disguise.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1 Kings 17: [NKJV] … 15 So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah. 
… Things looked bleak for the widow; but Elijah showed her that God is in control in our worst trials.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 Kings 17:8-24 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… God uses Elijah to show the widow that God’s blessings many time come in our worst trials. 
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Reference Passage : … Isaiah 41:10 [NKJV] … 10  Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, …  I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ 
… Our God desires to lift us up in life’s lowest moments.

Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s mercies, thru HIs faithfulness, are new every morning.

Reference Passage : … Galatians 6:6-10 [NKJV] … 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 
… No matter how bad things look, our circumstances are for our good as disciples of Christ.

Reference Passage : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… When our anxieties magnify, we Christians must take our trials before God’s throne of grace - WITH THANKSGIVING - and trust Him.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 4:16 [NKJV] … 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 
… When things seem the worst, those are the times when we need to pray the hardest.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Poh Fang Chia, used a personal situation to show that our God is always faithful, no matter how bad things appear. The ODB author wrote: During the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, more people were looking for work than there were jobs available. I was one of those job seekers. After nine anxious months, I landed employment as a copywriter. But the company soon fell on bad times and I was jobless again.   
Ever been there? It seems like the worst is over when suddenly the bottom drops out on you. 

I’ve sure been there, feeling about as low as one can, in the midst of the lowest of the low. How about other readers here? I’d bet many are thinking of such a time right now; but did you get thru that low time? Apparently you did … unless you’re there right now!

And I’m going to pray that all readers with me today have discovered the truth of what Laura Story sings in the linked song … one of my favorite song lessons about God’s grace, … which so often happens in the midst of life’s most challenging trials. And I also pray that anyone who might be in the midst of one of those trying times, can glean a lifting from God’s grace by meditating on the Scriptures above. … I sure have today!!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for showing me Your faithfulness and Your grace in the midst of my trials.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Lift my soul and that of any reader here today with Your ever faithful, amazing grace. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 6, 2018 … Giving > Receiving

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 217 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …   Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from the group Casting Crowns singing … If We Are The Body … powerfully singing of how we, as disciples of Christ, should be reaching out in His Name and for His glory to serve others.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 [NKJV] … 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. 
… Giving is so much more fruitful and productive than receiving/taking.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, exhorts Christians to selflessness and away from selfishness.
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Reference Passage : … Acts 20:32-35 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK ... 
… Luke, quoting from Paul, exhorting Christians to give to one another and build up, rather than tare down our relationships, quoting especially from Christ, who said “It is more blessed to give than receive.” (v. 35)

Reference Passage : … Galatians 6:6-10 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK ... 
… God, thru Paul, exhorts His disciples (i.e., all of us) to be generous and do good for others … for we will reap what we sow. Note especially v. 9-10 on giving.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Leslie Koh, teaches on the old Jesus taught truth that giving is better than receiving. The ODB author wrote: It was a dreary week. I had been feeling lethargic and listless, although I couldn’t figure out why. Near the end of the week, I found out that an aunt had kidney failure. I knew I had to visit her—but to be honest, I felt like postponing the visit. Still, I made my way to her place, where we had dinner, chatted, and prayed together. An hour later, I left her home feeling upbeat for the first time in days. Focusing on someone else rather than myself had somehow improved my mood. 
Psychologists have found that the act of giving can produce satisfaction, which comes when the giver sees the recipient’s gratitude. Some experts even believe that humans are wired to be generous! 

When Jesus said that giving is better than receiving (see Acts 20:35), He certainly already knew what neuroscience and psychologists are just now determining behaviorally and thru research; and that is that acts of generosity produce chemicals in the brain which give us joy and peace and reduce stress … and even give us more energy (as in the ODB read above). If you want to read about this from Psychology Today, ... GO TO THIS LINK.

So, even if you have trouble just following the exhortations of Scripture in the Pauline writings cited above, perhaps you science types should just believe what research is teaching that it’s far better to give than to receive and you’ll be a lot better off in this life.

But I, for one, just believe what Jesus said; and will do it because I follow Him.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for showing us the better way to live by giving rather than by taking.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Show me ways/places where I can give of myself today. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 5, 2018 … Justice and Mercy

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 216 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from the group Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing … How Deep the Father’s Love for Us … poignantly singing how God was willing to send His Son to shed His blood to save sinful mankind.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Nahum 1:3, 7 [NKJV] … 3  The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. … 7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him. 
… We can ALWAYS trust in God’s goodness and mercy for us sinners who love Him; … but also in His justice which will visit His wrath on all who hate Him.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Nahum 1:1-7 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… God’s mysterious and omnipotent wrath …
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Reference Passage : … Nehemiah 9:17 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… PTL for God’s mercy and willingness to forgive those who repent and trust in Him.

Reference Passage : …John 3:16 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
... God sent His Son, The Christ, to save us from the wrath we deserve as sinners.

Reference Passage : … Romans 3:23 [NKJV] … For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
  … All mankind deserves His wrath at judgement; but He’s so good to provide a way for us to be saved from His wrath (see Rom. 10:9-13)

Reference Passage : …Romans 10:9-13[NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
... Any and all sinners can receive God’s mercy and grace by heeding these truths.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, relates a question often asked about God, especially by those who don’t really know Him intimately or personally. The ODB author wrote: As my friend and I went for a walk, we talked about our love for the Bible. She surprised me when she said, “Oh, but I don’t like the Old Testament much. All of that hard stuff and vengeance—give me Jesus!” 
We might resonate with her words when we read a book like Nahum, perhaps recoiling at a statement such as, “The Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath” (Nahum 1:2). And yet the next verse fills us with hope: “The Lord is slow to anger but great in power” (v. 3). 

Which is He (i.e., God); … a God of wrath or a God of love/mercy? … And I’d bet readers here know the answer to that age-old question. And of course, the answer is BOTH! And that’s what the Prophet Nahum was declaring in his treatise on God’s character in the highlight passage above.

And the truth of this answer is echoed by all the scriptures above, especially those which describe a God Who would sent His Son, as the perfect Lamb of God, to shed His blood so that all mankind, which deserve nothing but His wrath, can experience His love/mercy by humbly surrendering to The Lamb of God as Lord and Savior.

Oh, ... how I echo the love sentiments of the linked song above; and the reality that we, as sinners, can and will receive God’s eternal mercy; … yes, … even tho, as Paul stated truly, we deserve only His wrath [in Rom 3:23]. And O how I pray that all reading here have humbly and openly declared your surrender to receive God’s saving grace [go meditate on Romans 10:9-13].

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for withholding Your wrath from this sinner and all who would surrender to You as Lord.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … May my life be witness to Your love and mercy. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 4, 2018 …God’s Feast of Grace

Berry Patch Devotions in 2018 - Day 215 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics from the group Sidewalk Prophets singing … Come To The Table … poignantly singing how God invites any and all to His table of love and grace … no matter who we are!!

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Highlight Verse[s]: Luke 14:13-14 [NKJV] … 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” 
… Jesus’s parable of how His table of grace is open to any/all who would come at His invitation. 
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Highlight Passage [context]: Luke 14:7-14 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus, at the table of the Pharisees on the Sabbath, tells of how we must be willing to invite any/all to His table of love/grace.
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Reference Passage : …Matthew 6:2-4 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus teaching others of His way of serving others with His love and grace. 

Reference Passage : … Ephesians 3:14-21 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… That we Christians would appreciate the wondrous love, offered to any/all who would come to His table and be served by His amazing grace.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-7 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God’s Spirit, thru Paul, teaches that we are to serve others, as He would, in the form extending grace as His has to any/all who would come to receive His grace.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, tells a true story of how we are blessed when we’re willing to reach out and serve others. The ODB author wrote: Just one week before her scheduled wedding date, Sarah’s engagement ended. Despite her sadness and disappointment, she decided not to waste the food she had purchased for her wedding reception. She did, however, decide to change the celebration plans. She took down the gift table and revamped the guest list, inviting the residents of local homeless shelters to the feast [see photo]. 
Jesus upheld this sort of no-strings-attached kindness when speaking to the Pharisees, saying, “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed” (Luke 14:13–14). 

I confess here that one of my personal selfish weaknesses is striving to be seen by other as “worthy” or “special.” Hence, I have a history of trying to show off my “goodness” so that others can see me and give me kudos of affirmation. And that is exactly contrary to what Jesus was teaching about service to God’s kingdom in His “Sermon on the Mount” (see Matt. 6:2-4 or when He related the parable of the banquet of grace to the Pharisees in Luke 14.

And the Apostle Paul also taught, in more than one of his letters (see reference passages above), how we only reflect God’s love/grace when we’re willing to humbly set a table of grace and serve others. 

So … how about joining me and looking for ways to do that today!!

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for the open invitation to come to Your table and partake of Your grace.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Help me to see the opportunities where I can serve others the way You do for me. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 3, 2018 … Bread and Butter Letter

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 213 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from the group Brush Arbor singing … Hello God … poignantly thanking God in prayer for all He does for us.

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Highlight Verse[s]: 3 John 1 [NLT] … 1 This letter is from John, the elder. … I am writing to Gaius, my dear friend, whom I love in the truth. 
… John addresses a friend and writes a letter of help/encouragement.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 3 John [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… The apostle John writes a letter of encouragement to a brother in Christ.
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Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:29b [NLT] … 29 … Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. 
… God, thru Paul, exhorts Christians to use our words to help and build others up.

Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-4 [NLT] … 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 
… God, thru Paul, exhorts Christians to encourage and edify others.

Reference Passage : … Hebrews 10:24 [NLT] … 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 
… We are challenged by God to do all we can to encourage others toward love and good works.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, uses the biblical example the Apostle John’s third letter to show how we Christians should use “bread and butter” letters/notes to encourage our fellow Christians. The ODB author wrote: What the apostle John did for his friend Gaius in the first century is a dying art in the twenty-first century. John wrote him a letter. 
One writer for the New York Times, Catherine Field, said, “Letter-writing is among our most ancient of arts. Think of letters and the mind falls on Paul of Tarsus,” for example. And we can add the apostle John. 
In his letter to Gaius, John included hopes for good health of body and soul, an encouraging word about Gaius’s faithfulness, and a note about his love for the church.

When I was young my mother helped me learn the value of writing “bread and butter” letters or notes, especially when we had visited someone or a friend or family member had done something nice for me (or our family). “Bread and butter” letters are thank you notes or letters of encouragement [see photo] to recognize what someone has done for us. And I’m afraid that we are losing this touch of civility in this digital age where we communicate impulsively thru social media or emails. We are losing the discipline of edifying others thru intentionally written notes or letters of encouragement. 

But the Apostle Paul recognized the importance of a letter of encouragement when he wrote the very personal letter to a friend, Gaius, in the letter of Third John (see highlight passage). I firmly believe we should do more of that kind of “bread-n-butter” letters to provide grace and edification to our loved ones, especially those in the Body of Christ.

And I hope that readers here recognize that this is a great part of the motivation behind these “bread-n- butter” journal entries which I post daily, praying that what I write will not only help me grow in Christ but also be an encouragement to others. Perhaps you know of someone you could write today - even digitally - to encourage by sharing God’s love with them. Or maybe we should sit down and write a “bread-n-butter” letter to God, thanking Him for all that He does for us just as the group Brush Arbor does in the YouTube song linked above.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your wondrous love letter to me which I read here daily in Your Holy word.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … I pray that others will be lifted up or encouraged by what I share here in writing daily. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 2, 2018 … Beauty From the Storm

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 213 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics from Chris McClarney singing … Beauty for Ashes … poignantly singing of our good God redeems us into oases of beauty from the storms of life.

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 107:35 [NLT] … 35  But he also turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water. 
… God turning the barren deserts into oases by the storms of life.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 107:1-16, 35-36 [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… The Psalmist praises God for redeeming the parched deserts with His rain storms just as He redeems us from the ashes of our sinfulness.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 23:1-4 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… David shows that we need not fear the storms of life as God uses them to lead us into His green meadows.

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28, 38-39 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, show us that nothing can separate a true disciple of Christ from His love, … no, not even the storms of life, which God uses for our good and His glory.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Monica Brands, uses a situation from her youth to illustrate how God uses the storms of life to redeem us. The ODB author wrote: I’ve always loved a good thunderstorm. As kids, whenever a storm was truly incredible—with booming thunder and buckets of heavy rain pounding down—my siblings and I would make a mad dash around the outside of our house, slipping and sliding along the way. When it was time to go back inside, we were soaked to the bone. 
It was an exhilarating taste—for just a few minutes—of being immersed in something so powerful we couldn’t quite tell whether we were having fun or terrified.  

I think, even as mature Christians, we have a tendency to forget the truth of the passages from Romans 8 above, … especially when we encounter the storms of life. When the thunder/lightening crackles all around us in the trials/temptations of life, we forget that God uses these storms to redeem us and let the beauty of Christlikeness to bloom forth from us … just as the flowers bloom in the desert after a thunderstorm (see photo).

That’s what the Psalmist was picturing in the highlight passage above in Psalm 107, wasn’t he? So, today, if any reader here is going thru a storm, let’s look at the lightning of temptation or feel the winds of trouble, knowing that our God is going to use the storm to bring some beauty into our life … just as Chris McClarney sings in the linked song.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your storms which turn my barren desert into an oasis of Christlikeness.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Lead me thru this storm into Your meadow of love. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

August 1, 2018 … His Love Unlimited

Berry Patch Devotions in 2019 - Day 212 

Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a YouTube of song and lyrics from Chris Tomlin singing … Good, Good Father … poignantly singing of our good, good heavenly Father, perfect in all of His ways of love to us

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Highlight Verse[s]: Psalm 145:9, 13b [NLT] … 9  The Lord is good to everyone.  He showers compassion on all his creation. … 13b The Lord always keeps His promises; He is gracious in all He does. 
 … King David sings of God's goodness and His unlimited love.  
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Highlight Passage [context]: Psalm 145:8-21 [NLT]… USE THIS LINK …
… King David acrostic poetry sings of God’s unlimited love and His love for his eternal God. 
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 36:5 [NLT] … 5  Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. 
… David again extols the greatness and vastness of God’s love.

Reference Passage : … Romans 8:37-39 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, show us that nothing can separate a true disciple of Christ from His love.

Reference Passage : … 1John 3:11. 4:7-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ beloved friend, John, extols the limitless love of God and how we must share it as we love one another.

My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David C McCasland, teaches a strong truth about love overcoming conflict and how we should express ourselves in the midst of such conflict with others, especially with those we love. The ODB author wrote: A wise friend advised me to avoid using the words “you always” or “you never” in an argument—especially with my family. How easy it is to criticize others around us and to feel unloving toward those we love. But there is never any variation in God’s enduring love for us all. 

Good advice, isn’t it; … especially since we Christian are commanded to love one another as God loves us? And my Christians readers likely know what Jesus said about the extent of God’s love in John 3:16, don’t you? It’s limitless, isn’t it?

And King David (in the Psalms related above) praised the Lord for His unbridled/unlimited love; and New Testament writers, especially Jesus’ beloved friend, the Apostle John, wrote, (in 1John 3, 4) of the extent of God’s love for us; and as the Apostle Paul wrote (Rom. 8) how Christians simply cannot be separated from God’s love.

I pray all reading here know those truths, believe them, and then … that we all live them by doing all we can today - and tomorrow - to love others the way God loves us.

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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for Your unlimited love, in and thru my relationship with your Son, King Jesus.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Help me to love others today the way You love me. … Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.